Quake
Quake was the next major game to be released by id Software after the success of Doom. The first release was on June 22, 1996. Like Doom, it was a first person shooter and was clearly influenced by Doom in its style of gameplay, design, and story. For example, Quake features a similar arsenal of weapons as well as teleporters. Features original to Quake, like the console, later appeared in Doom source ports. Once the official Quake source code was released, some Doom source ports incorporated portions of the Quake source. Plot The player takes the role of Ranger, who is sent into a portal in order to stop an enemy code-named "Quake". Previously, the government had been experimenting with teleportation technology, and upon development of a working prototype called a "Slipgate", this enemy has compromised the human connection with their own teleportation system, using it to insert death squads into the 'human' dimension, supposedly in order to test the martial capabilities of humanity. The sole surviving protagonist in Operation Counterstrike is the player, who must advance, starting each of the four episodes from a human held but overrun military base, before fighting through into other dimensions, traversing these via slipgate or their otherworld equivalent. Once passing through each slipgate, the player's main objective is to survive and locate the exit which will take him to the next level, not unlike that of id Software's previous hit, Doom. The game consists of around 28 separate "levels" or "maps", grouped into four episodes. Each episode represents individual dimensions that the player can access through magical portals (as opposed to the technological Slipgate) that are discovered over the course of the game. At the start of each episode, the player is deployed in a futuristic military base and he has to find a slipgate that will take him to the alternate realm. The various realms consist of a number of Gothic, medieval, as well as "fire and brimstone"-style caves and dungeons with a recurring theme of hellish and satanic imagery reminiscent of Doom (such as pentagrams and images of demons on the walls). The latter is inspired by several dark fantasy influences, notably that of H. P. Lovecraft; most notably, the end boss of the first episode is named Chthon, and the final boss is named Shub-Niggurath, although there is little resemblance to the original literary descriptions. Some levels have Lovecraftian names as well, such as the Vaults of Zin or the Ebon Fortress. Originally, the game was supposed to include more Lovecraftian bosses, but this concept was scrapped due to time constraints. Although the moniker "Quake" originally applied to the protagonist, the final story describes Quake as simply being "the enemy". Player In the original Quake, Ranger is a marine in the special forces. Around the time of the Slipgate Affair, he is one of the many marines sent to defeat the enemy leader, codenamed "Quake". All marines sent through were killed, except for Ranger. Ranger then travels through 4 different dimensions, each more hellish than the last, to collect 4 magic runes that when combined, will open the gate to the lair of Quake. In the second dimension, Ranger learns that Quake, is actually Shub-Niggurath, the evil mother of all creatures from Lovecraftian myth. After collecting all 4 runes, a large hole in the main dimension select room leads to Shub-Niggurath. Ranger can not kill it with normal weapons, and must fight through many of its minions before finding a teleport that will teleport him to Shub-Niggurath's platform. He spawns inside the beast, and the sudden take up of space causes her to explode, leaving Ranger to be victorious. Official Manual Story Background: You get the phone call at 4 a.m. By 5:30 you're in the secret installation. The commander explains tersely, "It's about the Slipgate device. Once we perfect these, we'll be able to use them to transport people and cargo from one place to another instantly. "An enemy codenamed Quake, is using his own slipgates to insert death squads inside our bases to kill, steal, and kidnap. "The hell of it is we have no idea where he's from. Our top scientists think Quake's not from Earth, but another dimension. They say Quake's preparing to unleash his real army, whatever that is. "You're our best man. This is Operation Counterstrike and you're in charge. Find Quake, and stop him ... or it ... You have full authority to requisition anything you need. If the eggheads are right, all our lives are expendable." Prelude to Destruction: While scouting the neighborhood, you hear shots back at the base. Damn, that Quake bastard works fast! He heard about Operation Counterstrike, and hit first. Racing back, you see the place is overrun. You are almost certainly the only survivor. Operation Counterstrike is over. Except for you. You know that the heart of the installation holds a slipgate. Since Quake's killers came through, it is still set to his dimension. You can use it to get loose in his hometown. Maybe you can get to the asshole personally. You pump a round into your shotgun, and get moving. Levels As stated above, Quake is divided into 28 maps which spread over four episodes and a final level. When the player begins a new game of Quake, he/she must choose Easy, Normal or Hard and then choose an episode. The player may choose any episode and then must play through that episodes 6 to 7 maps, obtaining one of the four runes at the end of the final map to return to the entrance hall and pick another episode. Completed episodes can not be replayed as they are blocked off. Once the player has played all four episodes, obtained all four runes and blocked off all four corridors, a path leading down to the final level will appear, completion of said level will complete the game. Appearances Enemies The enemies of Quake are a diverse group of demons who are spawned by their leader, Shub-Niggurath (Shub). The enemies range from the weakest like possessed humans and dogs to the deadliest such as the Vore and Shambler. There are two types of 'arenas' in Quake and both arenas have their own set of enemies. The first type is the military base which each episode begins with. The military base could be the epicenter of the humans Slipgate research. The military base maps have only three enemies, who are exclusive to these maps and don't appear the portal maps (except for E1M2: Castle of the Damned. The three enemies are Grunt (Q1), Rottweiler and Enforcer (Q1). The second type of arena are the portal maps. These take up most of the game and are set in the realm of Quake. All of the enemies not mentioned above appear in these maps and they include the most powerful. The portal realm maps are as diverse as the monsters that inhabit them. The textures range from Medieval Castles to Alien Forts. *Rottweiler *Grunt *Enforcer *Knight *Death Knight *Rotfish *Zombie *Scrag *Ogre *Spawn *Fiend *Vore *Shambler *Chthon *Shub-Niggurath Expansions *Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon - released on February 28, 1997, developed by Hipnotic Interactive and published by Activision. *Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity - released on March 31, 1997, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Activision. References External links * Official site * Quake at Mobygames * Wikipedia Entry Category:Games Category:Article in progess Category:Quake